The Beginning!

At the Temple ranch just outside of Caliber City, Zane Temple and his young son Lance are hard at work when riders from town come to warn Zane that Link Cado -- an outlaw whom Zane sent to prison back in his days as a US Marshal is on the loose and looking to settle the score with him. Zane thanks the men for the warning and they insist on staying and helping Zane defend himself and his family. While preparing for the attack Zane instructs Lance and his wife to get into the back of the house for protection and instructs his son to keep his mother safe. However when Cado and his men arrive and the bullets begin to fly, a stray shot goes through the house and strikes Zane's wife killing her. When Lance tells his father what happened Zane becomes filled with rage and storms out of the house with his guns blazing, mowing down Cado's men seeking out the man responsible for murdering his wife.

This proves to be Zane's undoing as Link manages to sneak up behind the retired marshal and shoots him in the back. Horrified Lance rushes out to his father, but before Link can shoot him his gun is shot out of his hand thanks to the timely arrival of two passing men, the Mexican Emilio Ruiz and the Native American warrior Red Hawk, who have come to lend a hand. The pair's arrival forces Link to flee the scene and the two strangers stop to assist Lance and Zane. Red Hawk rushes Zane into the house to give him medical attention and manages to save his life, but tells Lance that unfortunately his father is going to be blind for the rest of his life. Emilio and Red Hawk decide to stay and help Zane adapt to his new life and help raise Lance.

Once reaching adulthood, Lance hears that Link Cado is still on the loose and is determined to avenge his mother and father. Zane stops him, making Lance vow to never use violence and leave the fighting to others. Lance has no choice but to follow his fathers wishes. However, when Emilio returns home and tells Lance he has learned that Link Cado and his gang are hiding out in the town of Jericho, Lance is conflicted between his desire to avenge his family and following his fathers wishes. Emilio and Red Hawk decide to help him out with his mission and give him a horse named Thunder. Lance comes up with a solution to get revenge and keep his word to his father: He develops a masked identity and taking his father's guns, he dubs himself the Outlaw Kid and races off to the town of Jericho.

In Jericho, the Outlaw Kid is stopped by some of Cado's men, and when they refuse to let him pass the Kid shoots them down. He then confronts Cado and the rest of his gang and mows them down with hot lead. With his vengeance complete, the Outlaw Kid goes to a nearby hidden valley where he stashes Thunder and his costume and then returns the guns home before his father notices that they are missing.

Recurring Characters

• Outlaw Kid

• Zane Temple

• Emilio Diaz

• Red Hawk

• Thunder

Continuity Notes

• A different origin story is provided for the Outlaw Kid in Outlaw Kid (Vol. 2) #10. The profile for the Outlaw Kid in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #8 only makes mention of the origin provided in Outlaw Kid (Vol. 2) #10. The explanation for two different origins is provided in the Blaze of Glory limited series. That story states that Timely/Atlas era western stories are “dime novel” adaptations of the “real” events of Marvel’s western era heroes.

Jaws of Death!

One afternoon a plainsman is out searching for wood to chopped when he is suddenly attacked and brutally killed by the Native American warrior Crazy Wolf and his pet wolf, another in a long line of victims in his mad quest to destroy the settlers that have come to his people's land.

The following morning the law out in Caliber City stops by the Temple ranch and warns Zane and Lance Temple about Crazy Wolf being spotted in the area. The commanding officer of the army asks is Lance can help them out as they badly need a scout to help them track down Crazy Wolf. Zane allows his son to help, but reminds him of his vow of non-violence that he has pledged. Lance leads them on the trail of Crazy Wolf until they have to camp for the night. That evening, Lance is awoken by a whistle signal of his friend Red Hawk. Red Hawk warns Lance that Crazy Wolf has gathered a group of potential followers and is convincing them to help him in his war against white men in the area.

Lance changes into the Outlaw Kid and the pair ride out the nearby canyon when the Outlaw Kid and Red Hawk subdue the sentry on duty and listen in to Crazy Wolf's meeting. Crazy Wolf is busy in a debate with the chief of the band of Native Americans that has greeted to meet him. Outlaw Kid decides to deal with the situation and makes his presence known to those gathered. He challenges Crazy Wolf to a one-on-one battle using only knives. The two fight it out, but during the fight Crazy Wolf's wolf attacks the Kid when he begins getting the upper hand. The Outlaw Kid struggles with the wolf, stabbing it in the neck and killing it. While his back is turned, Crazy Wolf attempts to attack him but is killed by an arrow shot into his back fired by Red Hawk. Having realized how cowardly Crazy Wolf was, the gathered warriors agree to cease hostilities. The Outlaw Kid then returns to the military camp and changes back into Lance Temple.

The following morning the soldiers continue their search and break it off when they find Crazy Wolf dead, leaving them puzzled as to what happened. Lance then returns to his father's ranch to tell him what happened.

Recurring Characters

• Outlaw Kid

• Zane Temple

• Red Hawk

• Thunder

Fangs of the Panther!

The Black Rider is riding across the range when he hears the tortured screams of an animal in pain. following the source of the sound he finds a mountain lion caught in a Mexican log snare. Slowly and cautiously, the Black Rider lifts the log trap freeing the animal which quickly trots off, the Black Rider decides to go off and find the men responsible for setting up the trap.

Along the way he crosses path with a band of Paiute warriors who tell him that their buffalo hunt has been spoiled by men who slaughtered the buffalo and left their carcasses to rot in the sun once the hunters took what little they wanted, wasting the rest of the buffalo bounty. The Black Rider assures him that he will find the men responsible and bring them to justice. The Black Rider tracks the gang, led by a man named Gustavson. The men try to fight back, but the Black Rider out guns them and kills a few of their number. Gustavson and his men stand down and the Black Rider orders them to give their buffalo hides to a group of Paiute women and children waiting outside.

Wanting revenge against the Black Rider, Gustavson and his men track the Black Rider down to where he is camping out for the night and ambush him. Knocking the hero out and puts him in a log trap and leaves him to be devoured by wolves. However the mountain cat that the Black Rider rescued earlier comes to his rescue, fighting off the wolves and helping the Black Rider free himself. The panther then leads him to where Gustavson is camped out and the big cat attacks them. While they are distracted the Black Rider guns them all down. In the aftermath he goes back to the Paiute people and tells them that he has slain those who were responsible for the buffalo slaughter.

Recurring Characters

• Black Rider

• Satan

A Killer's Trap!

Lance Temple is out at the Caliber City general store shopping with his girl Belle when they run into Judge Maddox and exchange some charming conversation before leaving the store. On their way out a gun toting man bumps into Lance, causing him to drop the packages he is carrying. The man tries to start a fight with Lance, but stops when Belle points out that Lance does not carry any guns. The man drops the subject and enters the general store while Lance and Belle load up their wagon and prepare to leave. Lance once more reminds Belle about his vow to his father, and when Belle tries to talk to him about it they are cut short by the sound of gun shots coming from inside the general store. Lance rushes back and finds Judge Maddox dead, shot by the stranger the encountered earlier who then fled the scene.

Lance rushes Belle back home so he can slip away to the hidden valley where he gets his horse Thunder and changes into the Outlaw Kid. The Outlaw Kid follows the shooters back trail outside of town. There he finds a group of outlaws and Harvey Sloan, a local lawyer who has a dirty reputation. Realizing that Sloan seeks to become judge to help out criminals the Outlaw Kid turns to leave when he accidentally steps on a branch revealing his location. The outlaws begin to shoot at the Kid, who tries to wheel back, taking out the man responsible for shooting Judge Maddox. While trying to fall back the Kid falls off a cliff and falls into a river below. Sloan is pleased as everyone who knows about his hiring to murder Judge Maddox is dead.

However the Outlaw Kid has survived the fall and after pulling himself out of the river and races off to Caliber City to stop Sloan before he can skip town. Confronting Sloan in his own home, the Outlaw Kid and tricks the crooked lawyer to explain his entire plot. When he does, the sheriff and his deputy burst in having heard the whole thing after being tipped off by the Outlaw Kid. When Sloan tries to pull a gun the Outlaw Kid disarms him. Sloan is apprehended and later Lance tells his father and Belle what happened in town. Belle is excited by the tale and wonders why the Outlaw Kid is really like.

Recurring Characters

• Outlaw Kid

• Zane Temple

• Belle Taylor

• Thunder